Lightweight fire starter

[Coffee]

I normally never start a fire on backpacking trips but I do carry storm matches and feel that I could, in most situations, start a fire under emergency conditions. However, on my upcoming Foothills trail thru hike, I'm thinking that the long winter nights, abundant fuel and many established campsites with existing fire rings might make a campfire attractive on one or more nights. I'm thinking of using vaseline and cotton balls to make a lightweight fire starter kit. Is this the best solution? Any insight from folks who do lots of winter camping would be great.

[Five Tango]

Last fire I started two weeks ago at camp was an old kleenex from my jacket pocket and a birthday candle.

[Connie]

I like SparkLite. It is for downed aviators: excellent.

I also like Firesteel. The next to the smallest is a convenient size, for me. The striker isn't absolutely necessary, however it works very well. If the back of a knife blade is ground to 90-degrees, it will work very well. I draw the firesteel rod away from the target for the sparks, holding the striker perfectly still.

This will throw "a shower of sparks" over a zelph Fancee Feest alcohol stove, for instance.

I like shavings of WetFire for a "sure-fire" firestarter material to get twigs started. It is possible, of course, to use dry wood shavings from under the bark, however, not likely done with cold hands.

Storm matches are okay. Matches must be dry, and fresh: older matches lose their spark.

[Traveler]

For what its worth, cotton balls in vaseline is what I use for a fail-safe fire starter in winter or summer. They burn well for a surprisingly long time and are very light to carry. I use old Rx vials to put them in. They work with about any ignition source from a match, to lighter, to a magneisum striker.

[Five Tango]

Walmart has some great paraffin based firestarters that measure about 1.5 inches square.Simply light with a match,blast match,or lighter and pile on the twigs.One of my favorites is to delaminate jute twine and make a birdsnest with a bit of charcloth in it and then use a sparking device like a ferocium rod or real flint and steel.But since I am lazy,a bit of paper and a birthday candle is my main lazyboy's way of starting a fire these days.Also,I don't put lighters around alcohol stoves.Dip my twig in the alcohol,light twig,light stove with twig.If you had seen the safety video I saw years ago,you would have a little more fear and repect for the explosive power of a disposable plastic lighter as well.

[garlic08]

Ditto the disposable plastic lighter. There's always one in my survival kit.

On winter camping trips, I always carry plenty of liquid fuel, otherwise known as "Boy Scout water" where I come from.

[Sirsnappy09]

+1 for petroleam jelly soaked cotton balls.

[Hikes in Rain]

I like the "joke" birthday candles you can't blow out. One of those, and you have a fire.

[cjayflo]

I use the Vaseline cotton balls. I also put a bit of chafing dish fuel into the mix.

[Coffee]

I happened to be at REI yesterday and picked up some Esbit fuel since I want to try it out as a stove fuel anyway (as an experiment, not for my upcoming trip where I'll have my Jetboil). So I guess I'll just take four of the esbit tabs with me and that way I'll have one for each night on the trail if I want to have a fire.

[TNhiker]

i make my own fire starters using the paper egg cartons, sawdust and wax......

cheap as all get out and hasnt failed me in 30 some years...........

burns for about 45 minutes or so, which is plenty of time to get the other wood ablaze............

[Connie]

Find out just how much "hot" you get with one Esbit, before the hike.

With windscreen and the right height of pot above flame, most use two Esbit.

[fastfoxengineering]

I don't really carry designated fire starters any longer because I know I have about 20 different things on me or in my pack that can't serve as very good fire starters. I also know what natural fire starters in the woods to look for.

That said, my favorite designated fire starters are vaseline (petroleum) soaked cotton balls. And occasionally, i'll make some and toss them in the pack. If you know how to build fire, you shouldn't have any problems getting a fire going with one of those cotton balls.

In fact, I usually rip them in half. If its extremely damp and having a hard time getting some kindling to catch, I'll add the other half.

Those manufactured fire starters that SOL and a million other companies make work well, but are expensive, and imo don't work any better than a vaseline soaked cotton ball.

Have fun out there

[Sarcasm the elf]

Back in scouts we used to take the bottom half of an old cardboard egg carton, fill it with a handful of sawdust and then pour some liquid paraffin into the carton. This made a dozen firestarters and a single one could get a fire going in almost any conditions. If you happen to have the needed items lying around, I recommend giving it a try.

[TNhiker]

Thats my method as I learned it in scouts as well.....

and they have never let me down....

I made 13 dozen in my last bunch as my old man got old candles from his church, sawdust from the vo tech worshop next to the foundation he volunteers for and getting the egg cartons from a chicken farmer also a member of his church....

all I had to do was invest in the time to make em and they will last me for years........

thirteen dozen at using one per fire----that's a lot of fires........

[July]

I don't really carry designated fire starters any longer because I know I have about 20 different things on me or in my pack that can't serve as very good fire starters. I also know what natural fire starters in the woods to look for.

That said, my favorite designated fire starters are vaseline (petroleum) soaked cotton balls. And occasionally, i'll make some and toss them in the pack. If you know how to build fire, you shouldn't have any problems getting a fire going with one of those cotton balls.

In fact, I usually rip them in half. If its extremely damp and having a hard time getting some kindling to catch, I'll add the other half.

Those manufactured fire starters that SOL and a million other companies make work well, but are expensive, and imo don't work any better than a vaseline soaked cotton ball.

Have fun out there

Well said, if you want to spend there are many willing to sell. Just a simple DIY vaseline/cotton ball serves well. Used to just hand roll/mush together, then started watching the cooking channel reduce vas to liquid then throw in cotton balls, stir, let cool... Woo Lah Will start a fire in a downpour.

[RED-DOG]

I carry strike any where matches their waterproof and i can use them in any weather conditions but i also carry a ferol rod and striker.

[Just Bill]

I did the whole scout thing and dipped lotsa crap in wax. Tried/carried all the various strikers. Painted matches with nail polish. Had plastic cases and do-dads. Even a fair hand at fire by friction.

That said-
A mini-Bic in a pill bag is about 14grams. 5 cotton balls dipped in Vaseline and in a separate pill bag is about 10-14g.
It is nearly impossible to find a more reliable or lighter weight system than this. Sealed in pill bags and kept in the bottom of a ditty bag or on your person and you are golden. Other than jumping on the lighter on a hard surface you can't mess up a bic. If it's wet you can dry the sparker. Not that it would, but if you run out of fluid, the sparker can light the cotton balls with some effort. Although as a smoker, it would take quite a few fires to cook off all the fluid in a full mini-bic. Simply make sure you stow a brand new one for your emergency lighter and you're fine.

One "tip" on the cotton balls. I also do the melt and dip thing. I have noticed though that it's better to leave yourself a "wick". Pinch a bit of cotton and twist it up. Dip the ball holding the wick out of the Vaseline and set on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper to dry. The balls will light without it, but if saturated it's more like lighting a candle by burning though the wax to reach the wick.

Putting some balls in a baggie with Vaseline and rubbing or mushing them works well because you don't saturate the ball, so they will light easy or with a spark. But dipping them will double their burn time (up to 15 min) and weigh little more.
If you like a spark and striker method- rub em.
If you carry a bic or match- dip em.

[Rocket Jones]

Crushed Fritos will also work in a pinch.

[colorado_rob]

Best, most foolproof fire starter I've ever seen, and I've used pretty much everything, is a Trioxane tablet, you can get them at surplus stores. I believe, but not 100% sure, these are essentially the same as Esbit tablets, but slightly different shape/form maybe?

http://www.amazon.com/G-I-Trioxane-H...sin=B004U6C8D2

Anyway, they always light, even soaking wet (I also carry about a dozen storm proof matches), and burn very hot and light pretty much anything.

In a pinch, they double as a backup fuel to heat water (like if you run out of fuel or your stove breaks, whatever); get a flat rock, make some sort of pot support (smaller rocks in a circle or some thicker green twigs), light your tablet, set pot on top, voila, hot water.

My little firestarting kit weighs about 1.5 ounces, including 2 Trioxane tablets (not in the original heavy foil pack, but in a little baggie) and a dozen stormproof matches. One half a tablet is all that is needed, so good for four fires.